Oliver Tree dead at 32

June 15, 2026

Oliver Tree performs during the Exit Festival 2024 at Petrovaradin Fortress on July 11, 2024 in Novi Sad, Serbia. (Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

Oliver Tree has died. He was 32.

Tree was among six people killed when two helicopters collided Sunday in Brazil, according to federal police of Rio de Janeiro.

Tree began his music career in 2010, and in 2018 he released his Alien Boy EP, which includes the RIAA Platinum-certified title track. His full-length debut album, Ugly Is Beautiful, dropped in 2020, and features “Alien Boy” and the single “Hurt,” which hit the top five on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.

The deluxe version of Ugly Is Beautiful spawned the single “Life Goes On,” which became Tree’s first crossover hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

In addition to earning fans with his blend of alternative and pop music, Tree became known for his distinctive bowl haircut and eccentric personality, which he displayed in his music videos. He would often mention quitting or retiring from music before putting out new material, and would be described in interviews as “trolling.”

Tree has released three more albums, 2022’s Cowboy Tears, 2023’s Alone in a Crowd and 2026’s Love You Madly Hate You Badly. According to a press release, Love You Madly Hate You Badly was recorded “across seven continents and 80 countries, from Africa to China to Afghanistan.”

Singer Melanie Martinez, who dated Tree, wrote in an Instagram Story, “Been an absolute wreck today.”

“Rest in peace Oliver,” Martinez wrote. “I know you’re making the angels giggle. I’ll be here wondering what stunt and creative project you’re scheming up in heaven.”

Brighter days ahead: Ariana Grande launches new charity foundation

June 12, 2026

Ariana Grande attends the AFI Awards Luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on January 9, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Thanks to Ariana Grande, there will soon be brighter days ahead for some organizations that support vulnerable communities.

Ari has launched The Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, which comprises four core funds: Protect & Defend, focused on LGBTQ+ rights, civil rights and reproductive justice; Heal & Dream, which expands access to mental health care and community support; Seen & Celebrated, which ensures LGBTQ+ voices and stories are heard and shared; and Emergency Support, which provides “rapid support and relief during times of collective need,” according to a press release.

Ari says in a statement, “I am beyond excited to finally announce the brighter days ahead foundation. Our mission is to support, protect, and provide resources for our vulnerable friends in need.”

She adds that the foundation will be “supporting handfuls of incredible organizations that provide the safe space and care that is desperately needed by so many right now.”

“It has been my privilege to be able to support these causes on my own over the years, and I’m grateful to now be able to expand that reach and amplify the life-saving work that these organizations do,” she concludes.

In more lighthearted Ariana news, her brother, Frankie Grande, appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday. He told Jimmy that he met Céline Dion soon after Ariana had done one of her famous Céline Dion impressions on his show.

“And so I was there in Vegas and Céline comes literally running up to me and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, Frankie, you have to tell your sister when she did me on Jimmy Fallon I peed!’” Frankie related, doing his own impression of the Canadian diva. “She goes, ‘I was laughing so hard I peed myself! I peed!’”

Taylor Swift tops UK chart with ‘Toy Story 5’ song, says she had Randy Newman’s ‘blessing’ to write it

June 12, 2026

Taylor Swift, ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ from ‘Toy Story 5’ (Walt Disney Records)

Taylor Swift’s new Toy Story 5 song “I Knew It, I Knew You” has scored the first of what will likely be multiple chart milestones.

The song has debuted at #1 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart; it’s her seventh charttopper across the pond. She is tied with Michael Jackson, George Michael and U2 in terms of artists who’ve all scored seven #1 singles on that chart.

Taylor is also now the first non-British artist to score two U.K. #1 hits in 2026; in February, she topped the chart with “Opalite.” The only other artist who’s had two U.K. #1 hits in 2026 is Harry Styles, with “Aperture” and “American Girls.”

Taylor wrote the song after the artist who’s most associated with Toy Story, Randy Newman, said it was OK for her to do so. Newman wrote and performed the franchise’s signature tune, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” plus several other songs for the movie series.

In ABC’s new 20/20 special Toy Story: 30 Years and Beyond, which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, Taylor says that Newman has been “amazing and supportive and encouraging” in welcoming her to the franchise.

“Knowing I had his blessing to enter this world was really special for me and kind of helped ease what might have been a stressful situation, if I didn’t know that he was good with it,” she says.

“He’s got a way of just writing such intricate, yet beautifully pure, simple lyrics about how you feel that get to the heart of it,” she says of Newman’s songs. “They’re so complex. They’re exactly how you feel, and they’re so universal.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC, ABC News and Hulu.

Judge orders Justin Baldoni to cover Blake Lively’s legal fees

June 12, 2026

Blake Lively attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 4, 2026, in New York. Justin Baldoni speaks onstage at the Vital Voices 12th Annual Voices of Solidarity Award, Dec. 9, 2024, in New York. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images | Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

A New York federal judge has ruled that Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, must pay his former It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively’s attorneys’ fees, after the parties reached a settlement last month in Lively’s lawsuit against the actor and production studio.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman denied Lively’s claim for punitive damages but wrote that the actress was entitled to attorneys’ fees under California Civil Code Section 47.1.

Section 47.1 states in part that a “prevailing defendant” in a defamation case is “entitled to their reasonable attorney’s fees and costs for successfully defending themselves in the litigation,” as well as any additional damages permitted by a judge.

In a statement to ABC News following the ruling, Lively’s attorneys Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb said the judge’s decision “makes it clear that Ms. Lively brought her claims in good faith, that there was no evidence she acted with malice, and that she is the prevailing defendant under Section 47.1.”

“Ms. Lively is gratified that her lawsuit shows how Section 47.1 and laws like it create a path for survivors to hold accountable those who weaponize online attacks and retaliatory lawsuits to intimidate and silence survivors,” they added.

ABC News has reached out to representatives for Baldoni for comment.

Friday’s decision comes after the parties reached a settlement in early May in Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni, ending their nearly year-and-a-half legal dispute.

According to settlement documents filed May 7 in the Southern District of New York, Baldoni, via his Wayfarer production company, and Lively agreed to settle their ongoing dispute on terms that Lively could still seek to recover attorney’s fees and additional damages.

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Lively and Baldoni’s legal battle kicked off in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department alleging “severe emotional distress” after she said Baldoni and key stakeholders in the film — which Baldoni also directed — sexually harassed her and attempted, along with Baldoni’s production company, to orchestrate a smear campaign against her.

Baldoni followed up the action by filing a lawsuit against the New York Times for libel and false light invasion of privacy on Dec. 31 after it published the article about Lively’s California complaint.

Lively subsequently formalized her complaint into a lawsuit against Baldoni in New York, also on Dec. 31.

Baldoni responded by filing a civil lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and others for, among other things, extortion and defamation.

The suits were consolidated into one lawsuit in January 2025.

In June last year, Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane, as well as Baldoni’s defamation suit against the Times, was dismissed by Liman.

A federal judge in New York gutted much of Lively’s case against Baldoni in April of this year, including claims she was subjected to sexual harassment on set.

The judge determined in a ruling at the time that Lively would be allowed to pursue certain claims of retaliation against Baldoni’s public relations team over alleged harm to her reputation.

In May, after reaching a settlement in their protracted legal dispute, the two actors issued a joint statement via their respective legal teams, saying, “We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”

Selena Gomez denies shading Taylor Swift over the Knicks: ‘I would never’

June 12, 2026

Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, on CBS and Paramount+. (Todd Williamson/CBS via Getty Images)

You need to calm down: Spurs fan Selena Gomez was not insulting Taylor Swift over Taylor’s Knicks fandom.

As per E! Online, on Thursday Selena commented “lol” on an MTV Instagram post that shared photos of celebrities at Game 4 of the NBA finals, including shots of Taylor with Mariska Hargitay. On Friday, she posted an Instagram Story that read, “Woke up and was sent so many texts. I would never insult my friends, nor was it an insult. The comment was a reaction to the first slide on the page.”

Selena went on to explain a now-deleted Instagram Story that she’d posted after the game, which was captured and posted on X. In it, she’d captioned a report of the Knicks’ stunning victory over her hometown team, the San Antonio Spurs, “Mad respect for the game!! Congrats to the peeps that represent. What a comeback. So funny how some are all the sudden fans though lol.”

People online interpreted this as criticism of Taylor, who has been accused by some — including an ESPN commentator — of not being a “real” Knicks fans. In fact, she’s a longtime fan of the team. But as Selena explained in her Friday post, that’s not what she was referring to at all.

“Second, I bet my friends on the game. The friends in the text chain I posted. I lost but was poking at my opponents, my friends,” she wrote. “Believe it or not I do have other friends in my life. But quickly forget that most assume otherwise.”

‘Heated Rivalry,’ ‘Widow’s Bay’ lead TCA Awards nominations

June 12, 2026

Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov in ‘Heated Rivalry.’ (Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max)

Heated Rivalry, Widow’s Bay and Industry lead the nominations for the 42nd annual TCA Awards with five apiece.

All three are nominated in the program of the year category alongside last year’s winner, The Pitt, as well as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Hacks, The Comeback, Shrinking and Pluribus.

The Pitt’s Noah Wyle is nominated in the individual achievement in drama category after winning in the category last year. He’ll face off against Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, as well as Industry stars Myha’la and Marisa Abela, and more.

Two new categories were also added this year: outstanding achievement in animation and outstanding achievement in international series.

The TCA Awards, voted on by members of the Television Critics Association, will announce the winners later this summer across TCA’s social media.

Backstreet Boys dance with dinosaurs — and ‘PAW Patrol’ pups — in video for new song ‘Bottle Up’

June 12, 2026

Backstreet Boys, ‘Bottle Up,’

Turns out *NSYNC isn’t the only iconic boy band that can do a song for an animated movie.

Backstreet Boys have released their new song, “Bottle Up,” from the soundtrack of the upcoming movie PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie. There’s also a video for the song, which was co-written by Ed Sheeran; he seems to like doing songs for animated movies, having also penned the song “Zoo” for Zootopia 2.

PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie follows what happens after the pack’s ship gets caught in a storm and crash lands on an uncharted island filled with dinosaurs. In the video, the group members appear on Dino Island, and sing and dance with the PAW Patrol characters, as well as the dinosaurs.

PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie is due in theaters Aug. 14.

Backstreet Boys resume their Into the Millennium residency at Sphere Las Vegas on July 16. It will run through Aug. 29.

‘Grateful’ Taylor Swift inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame: ‘Songwriting is the easiest thing I ever did’

June 12, 2026

Taylor Swift and Steven Spielberg pose backstage during the 2026 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at The New York Marriott Marquis on June 11, 2026 in New York City. (L. Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)

Steven Spielberg’s new movie, Disclosure Day, opened at midnight Thursday, but at that time he was busy inducting Taylor Swift into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City.

Spielberg’s speech during the annual gala was preceded by sombr performing her songs “Cardigan” and “Dear John.” Inside the ballroom, Taylor sat with fiancé Travis Kelce, her mother, Andrea Swift, Travis’ mother, Donna Kelce, and Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw.

In his speech, Spielberg noted that Taylor is the youngest female songwriter to ever be inducted into the Hall, and said that her “place in our culture” rivals the likes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Carole King, James Taylor and Stevie Nicks.

“I love making movies,” he concluded. “But I don’t think I will ever fill stadiums of multigenerational fans who want to recite the dialogue from Indiana Jones. So thank you, Taylor, for the gift of your stories and for insisting on being an authentic voice in a world where the line between real and fake is increasingly blurred. You are our mirror ball.”

When Taylor took the stage, she noted that in her entire 23-year career, “Songwriting was the easiest thing I ever did.” She said, “I think what I mean is that it was instinctual. No one taught me how to do it. I had to be taught how to entertain the crowd and learn choreography and be less annoying. … But songwriting for me, it’s pretty much the only thing I ever just naturally did.”

She concluded her speech by addressing the Hall of Fame organization: “I wanna thank the voters for celebrating and honoring the best and truest parts of my life. I’ll be forever grateful.”

Also inducted Thursday night was Alanis Morrissette, who performed acoustic versions of her songs “Mary Jane” and “You Oughta Know.” She was inducted by Brandi Carlile, who performed Alanis’ song “Uninvited.”

Another inductee was Kenny Loggins. He was ushered in by Gavin DeGraw, who performed Kenny’s hit “Danny’s Song” and joined him for “Celebrate Me Home.” And Goo Goo Dolls singer John Rzeznik helped induct KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, teaming up with The Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan to perform their hit “Shout It Out Loud.”

Olivia Rodrigo seems pretty excited for a girl with a new album; watch ‘stupid song’ video now

June 12, 2026

Olivia Rodrigo, ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’ (Geffen Records)

Now we know what Olivia Rodrigo was filming in New York City with all those ballet dancers.

Along with her new album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, Olivia has dropped the video for one of the album’s tracks, “stupid song.” The chorus goes, “I want you more than any stupid song could ever say.” As she sings the song, she wanders through the streets of Manhattan, followed by New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck, and other dancers from the New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, dancing in pink tutus and pointe shoes.

In the clip Olivia also plays piano in a bodega, frolics in a park with the dancers and stands enraptured under a sprinkler. The song’s lyrics also echo the “I’m unraveled” chorus of “the cure.” In “stupid song,” she sings, “I’m a thread on your shirt/ That is coming undone.”

Liv writes in an Instagram message about the album, “I love this album so much. The record is a time capsule of a relationship in all of its highs and lows. It’s my attempt at capturing love from both sides of the coin. The hope and the disappointment. The insanity and the clarity. The entanglement and the unraveling.”

After thanking her musical collaborators, producer Dan Nigro and her label, she went on to thank her fans: “It sounds corny but I truly feel so lucky that I get to share in this journey with you all. The idea of someone listening to these songs and letting them into their world is the most wonderful thing I can think of. Here’s to hoping!”

Olivia’s The Unraveled Tour starts Sept. 25 in Hartford, Connecticut.

‘Adults’ dropping surprise prequel episode ahead of second season

June 12, 2026

(l-r) Owen Thiele as Anton, Lucy Freyer as Billie, Malik Elassal as Samir, Amita Rao as Issa, Jack Innanen as Paul Baker in surprise prequel episode of ‘Adults.’ (Courtesy of FX)

The FX comedy series Adults is dropping a surprise prequel episode.

The show screened the episode, titled “Marathon Day,” to a sold-out crowd at the Tribeca Festival Thursday night. It focuses on the origin story of Jack Innanen’s character Paul Baker.

“We’re so excited for the opportunity to show fans how this friend group came to be,” said series creators Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, who also wrote the episode. “We love a good origin story, and we can’t wait for you to see where the radioactive spider bit Paul Baker.”

The episode will be available to watch on July 31 on FX and Hulu at 1 p.m ET/10 a.m. PT.

Adults, about a group of twenty-somethings living in New York, debuts its second season on Aug. 27.

Meanwhile, Innanen revealed on the Tribeca red carpet that he turned down a role on the highly anticipated second season of Heated Rivalry. He was rumored to be in the running for the characters of either Troy Barrett or Wyatt Hayes.

While he didn’t say which role he was offered, the Canadian actor told CBS Mornings, “I think it’s such an incredible show, and it didn’t work out. But I love Jacob [Tierney], I love everyone involved. I’m just, I’m excited to see what they do for the second season.”

Disney is the parent company of FX, Hulu and ABC News.